Population Explosion

“No country can be overpopulated if there is work for everyone.” -Jawahar Lal Nehni

Over-population is one of the numerous problems facing India. It is a burning question of the day. It has been engaging the attention of the public and the press for a pretty long time. Much has been said and written about this problem of ever-increasing numbers. During the last century, Malthus, a well-known economist; had stated in his famous essay on the population that population increased at a much faster rate than food supply. Malthus seems to be quite true if we look at the conditions prevailing in our country today.

India occupies only 2.4 percent of the total land area of the world but the population of the country is 16 percent of the total global population. According to the 1991 census, the population of India had crossed the 882 million mark. What is more, it is still increasing at an alarming rate. It is rising at the rate of about one million heads every month. According to the 2001 Census, the population of India crossed the 1000 million mark. This crossing of the billion mark has shaken the government and the people of India to the bones. Since 1947, the population of India has increased by 360 million. This means we have added an entire population of the erstwhile USSR. Every year, the increase in India’s population equals the population of Australia. The situation is just staggering. The production of food cannot keep pace with the alarming increase in numbers.

The causes of this problem are not very far to seek. Ours is a hot country. So we have a high birth rate. The boys and girls of our country grow and mature sexually at an early age. Early marriages are common even today, especially for the rural areas. Moreover, the birth of a baby is supposed to be the work of God. Illiteracy and ignorance are still rampant. Big families still carry prestige with them. So the birth rate is quite high. On the other hand, medical facilities have increased a lot since independence. It has led to a decrease in the death rate. The population is, therefore, increasing at a terrific speed. Last but not the least, there is a lack of the means of recreation for the masses. This and many other social factors are at work. They account for this serious problem facing the country.

The problem of ever-increasing numbers must be solved on a top priority basis. Unless it is solved our Five Year Plans cannot raise our standard of living. No plan for employment can succeed in its absence. The food problem will remain as it is. So, for the future prosperity of the nation, every effort must be made to solve it.

A planned population control programme should be launched to check this phenomenal growth in population in our country. The first step, of course, is the education of the people. Their whole mental outlook must be changed. They have to realise that it is a sin to have a large family. Besides this, an improvement in the economic condition of the people will also bring down the birth rate. Family planning schemes should be made popular. Attractive incentives should be given to those couples who come forward to plan their families. Those who refuse to fall in line should be suitably penalized and discouraged. Medicines, operations and other devices that help in checking the birth rate should be made available to all. They should not be limited to cities only. They must reach the rural India.

With the crossing of the billion mark, the planners in the Government of India have one again started thinking of steps that can be taken to control the population in the country. A suggestion has been made that the country should declare a two-year baby holiday. It has also been suggested that the one-child family norm should be adopted forthwith. Punitive measures are also being thought of to curb this population explosion. No hard decisions have so far been taken.

To sum up, population control is a crying need of the hour. It is a problem that concerns each citizen of our country. If we do not plan our families, we might perish one day.